Combined conductor plug and spool



E. M- KENNEDY COMBINED CONDUCTOR PLUG AND SPOOL July 24, 1951 Filed Junell, 1948 INVENTOR.

Patented July 24, 1951 UNITED STATES, P I OFFICE 2,561,740 COMBINEDCONDUCTOR PLUG AND SPOOL Earl M. Kennedy, (luyahoga, Ohio ApplicationJune 11, isiaseriarn 32,478

Outlet plugs for supplying electric current to lamps, lights, electricirons, electrically Operated machines, or the like, are usually equippedwith electric conductor cords of considerable lengths for ,thepurposeintended. Such cords when-in use ordinarily have considerable slackoften ly- I ing in an unsightly manner on the floor, disposed so as tobe in the Way, and located where persons may be tripped, causinginadvertent pulling of the plug, and otherwise disadvantageous or anuisance.

1 Claim. (01. 173-361) My invention contemplates the provision of anovel plug and spool unit, the plug element of which may be plugged intoan ordinary outlet box or socket, and forming a part of the spoolelement which is designed to lie snugly against desired to be taken up,and embodies a novel resilient snubbing or clamping portion to engagethe cord to prevent displacement of the wound portion thereof when theunit is in use.

The unit of my invention is designed especially to provide a neat andunobjectionably protuberant appearance when in use, as will appear morefully hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a View in general side elevation showing a combined outletplug and spool embodying the invention, the lower head of the spoolbeing shown in section as comprising a resilient structure having thesnubbing or clampin means for the conductor wire engaged with the latteras when the unit is in use.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,bringing out more clearly the clamping action of the lower resilienthead clamping parts in relation to the conductor cord.

Describing my invention specifically in conjunction with theillustration thereof in the accompanying drawings, I note that mycombined unit comprises generally a spool having the upper plug head Iand the lower resilient plug head 2. The upper plug head I is equippedwith the usual prongs or contact plates 3 with which adjacent ends ofthe wires of the conductor cord 4 are connected by screws or any othersuitable means in the customary manner. From their point of attachmentto the terminal prongs 3, the wires of the conductor cord 4 pass througha curved opening in the plug head I and emerge from the base of saidhead at one side of the spool body 5 largement or flange 6.

v I 2 i which is of shaft-like or cylindrical shape, and extendsdownwardly from the middle of the lower side of the plug head I. Thespool body 5 is integral with the plug head I, and in View of theelectrical nature of the appliance of my invention, it is contemplatedthat the parts I and 5 shall be made of hard insulation material ofrubher, plastic, or other suitable composition.

The spool body 5 is of considerable length, and is formed at its lowerend with an annular en- For fitting about the flanged end of the body 5the resilient head 2 of my unit is formed at its upper flat side with arecess extending from said upper flat side and enlarged so as to conformgenerally with sides of the flange part 6 received in the enlargedportionwhen the member 2 is assembled with the remaining structureof theunit. By reason of the resilient structure of the lower head 2 of thespool, it is obvious that merely by stretching the material of the saidhead, the same may be caused to interengage with the flange 6 of thebody 5 to establish the interlocking connection between the parts 5 and2, the portion of the member 2 above the flange 6 snugly fltting thebody of the spool to prevent displacement of the member 2 from said body5. In other Words, the recess formed in the upper surface of theresilient head 2 is constricted above the flange 6 of the body 5,thereby to engage over the flange and prevent unauthorized displacementof the part 2 from the part 5.

The plug head I is generally of rounded form on its upper and sidesurfaces, and tapers downwardly toward its outerend. The resilient head2 is of a general conformation similar to that of the plug head 1 exceptthat the curved surfaces extend in a reverse direction. At theirinnermost portions the heads I and 2 are flat so that they may lieagainst a wall or baseboard or floor surface, thus disposing the spoolbody 5 in parallelism with such surface and avoiding any undulyprotuberant parts that might be unsightly or be conducive to theaccidental displacement of the plug element I and its terminal prongs 3from the outlet box or socket with which the parts 3 are engaged.

At its outermost reduced portion the resilient socket 2 is provided withan inwardly extending recess 1 providing resilient lips or clamping members 8 and an entrance mouth 9 for the introduction into the recess of aportion of the cord 4 for snubbing or clamping action against the cordfor purposes to be explained more fully hereinafter.

As seen in Figure 1, the cord 4 is entirely wrapped around the body ofthe spool 5 and the extent of unwrapping of the, cordfrom said spoolwould depend upon the distance at which the electric equipment to beoperated by currentpassing through the cord 4 is disposed in spacedrelation to the plug and spool unit of my invention, as will be obvious.The conductor cord-4 is equipped with the usual plug connector forengagement in the socket of a lamporother piece of electric equipment,along therlines previously described.

Under some conditions, my plug: and spool unit may be'employed byutilizing the plug head! and terminal prongs 3 to connect the unit to amachine or equivalent type of apparatus, and the cord 4 may be thenunwound from the spool body 5 to whatever extent necessary to utilizethe cord- 4 and bring the plug lfl to the proper'position for engagingthe outlet socket or box located in a wall or like place, the unwindingof the cord, however, being only to such extent as to enable the use ofthe conductor without. having undue slack in the length of the latter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and. desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

A combination electric plug and, spool unit 4 comprising a spool bodyhaving an integral plug head at one end, electrical terminal prongsextending from said plug head, said plug head and spool body being madeof hard insulation material, the spool body being provided at its otherend with an annular enlargement flange, a resilient head carried by theend of the spool body having said flange and formed with a flat sidehaving airece's'spf a siaeto'receive,the zflange and formed with aconstricted'portion to fit snugly about the spool body and stretchableover the said flange to interlock the resilient head to the spoolabody;saidresilient head being formed with spaced resilient conductor wireclamping members-'at'aside thereof, and conductor wires being00111193176611130 the terminal prongs of the plug.

head, wrappable about the spool body, and engageablewith the clampingmembers of the resilient head of the unit.

KENNEDY.

I REFERENCESCITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file ofthis patent: 1

UNITED STATES PATENTS

